It’s the private school New York’s richest are terrified to criticize.

Parents whose kids were rejected for kindergarten admission to The Dalton School — and then learned that confidential information was put in an e-mail to fund-raisers — were shocked and incensed but didn’t dare speak out, education consultants say.

They feared it would hurt their chances of getting into another private school — or maybe getting into the highly desired Dalton on another try in several years.

“They don’t want to look like they’re angry at Dalton. They want to lay low. They don’t want to burn their bridges,” said private-school admissions guru Dana Haddad.

Haddad said she spoke with three Dalton alumni who were stunned by their alma mater last month when officials informed them their kids’ applications would likely be denied. “They got a heads up that it’s not looking good,” she said.

“They were very involved alumni who had anticipated sending their children to Dalton,” Haddad said. “They’re big donors. Some have done fund-raising for the school or chaired events. They’ve been actively giving their time and money to the school for years.”

About 1,300 kids in K-12 attend the Upper East Side prep school, whose alumni include Claire Danes, Chevy Chase and Anderson Cooper. This year’s tuition was $38,710.

The jilted parents took Dalton’s offer to let them “withdraw their application” to the school so they could apply to another private school and call it their “first choice.”

Last week, they learned after a report by The Post’s Page Six that their names and denied admissions were among at least 11 alumni listed in the e-mail sent to an alumni committee planning to hit up their classmates for donations.

“They were in shock,” Haddad said. “They were already so hurt and insulted that their alma mater didn’t accept their children. Hearing that Dalton is spreading this information in the community is even worse. Some are very high-powered alumni who have been very involved over the years and feel betrayed.”

Dalton’s head of school Ellen Stein — who made $627,308 in salary and benefits in 2010-11 — has apologized for the breach of privacy. But she refused to identify the staffer who sent the e-mail or say whether anyone will be disciplined.

Officials need not fear an uprising. Despite their anger, the parents are “terrified” about complaining, Haddad said. If they did, the other schools would know their applications were still active there because Dalton said no. In addition, griping would not sit well with admissions officers deciding their fates.

“You don’t want your name in the paper badmouthing anybody, because you don’t yet have a spot,” Haddad said. “These families are panicked.”

Lastly, the families may still harbor hope of getting their kids into Dalton at the next entry points — sixth grade for middle school and ninth grade for high school.

“Lots of families reapply — and lots of families get rejected again,” Haddad said. “They could fill the school two to three times over with alumni children and siblings.”

Admission offers from Dalton and other private schools went out Friday.

Outside Dalton, most students brushed past a reporter. “No one’s going to comment on this,” one sniffed.

But another boasted, “I’m in Dalton — I’m not on the list,” generating loud guffaws from his pals, one wearing a Dalton lacrosse jacket.

A junior said he didn’t get the big fuss over confidentiality. “If you’re not there the next year, it’s probably obvious you didn’t get in. It’s a no-brainer,” he said.